The second thread for this quarter is DIANA HENRY.
HAPPY COOKING – AND SHARING!
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Last quarter’s COTM threads remain open, as do all prior COTM threads:
I am so excited to report on all things Samin this month. GOOD THINGS has earned a place on my favorite’s bookshelf. I have only contributed a few times on Hungry Onion. For some reason, I find it really hard to find the COTM archives section and navigate the site in general. I guess it is hard to teach an old girl new tricks. I am used to Chowhound. Hopefully it will be easier now that I have replied to this thread.
This is a really exceptional dish. I only used one can of chickpeas, one butternut squash, and 1 T. of mild harissa (the one Samin recommends in her book is amazing).
I was on the fence about it before I let it cook down, but that step is key. One of the best squash dishes I have ever had.
This is one of those recipes that you might skip over unless someone pointed it out to you. I made a batch soon after acquiring the book and I think I have had a batch in my fridge ever since. It is soooo good and soooo easy and if you make it , you will likely find a 1,000 used for it.
I make mine in a large mason jar using the vacuum packed square blocks of feta from TJs and a basic olive oil. I do not use a neutral oil. At first, I only had 2 kumquats as that was what I had left on my tree. I added sea salt as suggested and my first batch was a tad too salty. Since then I have replenished adding to the jar, sometimes almost emptying it. Over time I added the remaining 6 kumquats and additional bay leaves. The kumquats adds something special and they are nice scooped out and eaten with the cheese.
I use this cheese and its flavorful oil on avocado toast, spanakopita, as a dip put out with crusty bread, on salads, and a myriad of other ways.
I made this last year using up a bumper crop of meyer lemons from our yard. Started it just before leaving for a 8 day vacation. It took approx 2 weeks for the batch to mature after spending most of the time in my fridge. I didn’t have any fresh turmeric on hand, so I added a small amount of powdered turmeric to the brine upon maturation. When I pureed, the color was similar to that in the illustration. The taste is/was unlike regular preserved lemon. It is lemony and slightly salty, not the typical insane amount of saltiness associated with typical preserved lemon. I retained the remaining brine hoping to find other uses for it.
This spread lasts forever in your fridge if you don’t cross contaminated. It makes a great gift. When I made it, all my friends got a jar for their fridges.
It is good in so many dishes. Mixed into tuna salad, added to soups or stews, as a condiment, and any dish that calls for traditional preserved lemon.
When you make this your house will smell incredible. Dead easy to make. Shredding is for sure the hardest part. It is the kind of recipe you can make for a crowd or for multiple meal prep throughout a busy week. Quite delicious.
I used tricolor peppers from TJs in place of the peppers to keep it mild. Started with a 6 lb brisket and kept the same ratio of water suggested in the recipe. Probably used 3 T grey salt instead of the 5 T kosher suggested. Seared my brisket and onion before adding the liquid ingredients. Added a bay leaf. Added two mild dried peppers to the broth.
Modified the sub recipe for TEO’S CHIVI SPICE using 1 t. each of the components except for the cayenne for which I subbed urfa biber chile and smoked paprika in equal measure.
I made this recipe in advance of receiving the physical book. I think it was written up in the NYT or some other publication.
It is easy to put together and very tasty. I make a lot of ragus, and I would not say that this is my favorite one, but, if you are looking for a good basic ragu/sugo, you have found it. This recipe is a great option for cooks who dread the longer process of a typical Sunday sauce. Personally, I find making a ragu somewhat meditative and will likely use my typical recipe(s) going forward.
I couldn’t get myself to put the meat in without browning first so I added that step. I used inexpensive cuts from Ralph’s butcher shop, a combination of pork and beef. Shredding is indeed the only tedious part of this recipe. I also discarded the hard bits of fat straying from the recipe’s instruction.
I am luck enough to live close to a wonderful Middle Eastern Market that makes prepared rice, so for my first attempt a making a homemade Tahdig. I started with cold rice from Tehran market.
I agree with other commenter on EYB, Samin’s visual cues are great. I think that is the true beauty of this book. Cooking alongside Samin is like chatting with a really lovely, warm, smart friend.
My crust was not as thick or crunchy as I would have liked so next time I will use more heat but the flavor was amazing. I used my cast iron skillet. Even the non-rice eaters in my family were wowed.
This is a vertical garlic bread with a wonderful presentation but a little hard to pull apart at the table. I used a hearty sourdough from a local bakery.
Next time I would use less garlic, chop it much more finely and add more parmesan. I think I still prefer my old standby made with mayo/butter instead of olive oil/butter, and I would omit the granulated garlic next time.
This is the first recipe I have made from this book that was not utterly perfect first time and I feel would benefit from tweaking.
Perhaps minimally. I think she omits the browning step to create a gateway recipe - making this dish approachable for someone who might shy away from all the steps of a traditional ragu. You still have to low and slow it till it falls apart.
I have SALT FAT ACID HEAT and I had watched her show; her Tahdig Rice recipe is the only one I’ve ever tried and it came out great from the first attempt.
Not browning goes against my instincts and training too, but I read a few years ago either here or on CH that taco meat turns out softer / juicier if simmered in liquid rather than browned first.
So I tried it out, and when there are many more contributing flavors, it does indeed provide a tender outcome without loss of flavor.
Still hard for me not to start a recipe by browning the meat, though!
